Check-list McCreary County, Kentucky, Birds

Table 1. UCR Bird List with species observed in McCreary County indicated (X in right column).  Species denoted below with one asterisk (*) are rare and with two asterisks (**) very rare within the UCR; sightings of these species should be reported via a documentation form.  Species on the Audubon WatchList are indicated below in pink (27 species) or red (8 species), with the latter being more critically decreasing species.

Table 2. Annotated list of McCreary County bird species.  * = Rare species in UCR.

_____ Canada Goose

_____ Wood Duck

_____ Blue-winged Teal

_____ Gadwall (28 October 2007, RMD)

_____ American Wigeon (22 February 2007, RMD)

_____ American Black Duck (4 January 2002, LMM, TBM)

_____ Mallard

_____ Northern Pintail (8 January 2002, TBM)

_____ American Green-winged Teal (24 March 2002, SJS, BHS)

_____ Redhead (5 February 2006, RMD)

_____ Ring-necked Duck (4 January 2002, LMM, TBM)

_____ Surf Scoter * (6 May 2000, DLC, SJS)

_____ Bufflehead (21 January 1999, LP)

_____ Common Merganser (several CBC records from Cumberland Falls CBC and one record from March 2020 [JK] in eBird) *

_____ Hooded Merganser

_____ Ruddy Duck (21 January 1999, LP)

_____ Northern Bobwhite

_____ Ruffed Grouse

_____ Wild Turkey

_____ Pied-billed Grebe (19 September 1998, SJS+)

_____ Rock Pigeon

_____ Eurasian Collared-Dove (31 May 2011, BHS—a McCreary County Foray record)

_____ Mourning Dove

_____ Yellow-billed Cuckoo

_____ Black-billed Cuckoo (5 May 1994, SJS, RGE)

_____ Common Nighthawk (5 May 2002, TBM, LMM)

_____ Chuck-will's-widow (24 April 2009, BHS—a SBB record)

_____ Eastern Whip-poor-will

_____ Chimney Swift

_____ Ruby-throated Hummingbird

_____ American Coot (fide LMM; 5 February 2006, RMD)

_____ Sandhill Crane

_____ Killdeer

_____ Willet * (2 May 1982, SRS photo, RS)

_____ Greater Yellowlegs (21  April 2001, SJS+)

_____ Pectoral Sandpiper (8 May 2000, LMM, SJS)

_____ American Woodcock (6 on 29 April 2002, LMM, TBM; 12 on 25 February 2005, SJS)

_____ Wilson's Snipe (15 October 2002, LMM, TBM)

_____ Spotted Sandpiper

_____ Solitary Sandpiper (9 April 2000, RMD)

_____ Common Loon *

_____ Double-crested Cormorant (12 November 2000, SJS, RGE; 11 October 2002, LMM, TBM)

_____ American Bittern * (29 April 1987, BLP)

_____ Great Blue Heron

_____ Great Egret (fide LMM)

_____ Green Heron (16 June 1938, WMP [Wetmore 1940])

_____ Black Vulture

_____ Turkey Vulture

_____ Osprey

_____ Golden Eagle * (21 March 2009 [2], RMD)

_____ Northern Harrier (18 September 1999, RMD, LMM)

_____ Sharp-shinned Hawk (19 September 1998, SJS; KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996]

_____ Cooper's Hawk (5 June 2003, SJS)

_____ Bald Eagle (13 September 1980, WHB [Stamm 1981a]; 14 October 2002, LMM, TBM)

_____ Mississippi Kite (30 May 2011, RMD—a McCreary County Foray record)

_____ Red-shouldered Hawk

_____ Broad-winged Hawk (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ Swainson's Hawk * (5 May 2011, RMD)

_____ Red-tailed Hawk

_____ Eastern Screech-Owl

_____ Great Horned Owl

_____ Barred Owl

_____ Northern Saw-whet Owl * (28 February 2000, SJS, DLC)

_____ Belted Kingfisher

_____ Red-headed Woodpecker 

_____ Red-bellied Woodpecker

_____ Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

_____ Downy Woodpecker (16 June 1938, WMP [Wetmore 1940])

_____ Hairy Woodpecker

_____ Red-cockaded Woodpecker (extirpated)

_____ Northern Flicker

_____ Pileated Woodpecker

_____ American Kestrel (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ Great Crested Flycatcher

_____ Eastern Kingbird

_____ Olive-sided Flycatcher * (5 May 1994, SJS, RGE)

_____ Eastern Wood-Pewee

_____ Acadian Flycatcher

_____ Willow Flycatcher 

_____ Eastern Phoebe

_____ White-eyed Vireo

_____ Yellow-throated Vireo

_____ Blue-headed Vireo

_____ Philadelphia Vireo (17 September 2000, SJS, RGE)

_____ Warbling Vireo * (22 April 2008, RMD)

_____ Red-eyed Vireo

_____ Blue Jay

_____ American Crow

_____ Common Raven (extirpated [Mengel 1949])

_____ Horned Lark (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996]; 14 May 2002, SJS, LMM et al.)

_____ Purple Martin (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ Tree Swallow

_____ Northern Rough-winged Swallow

_____ Barn Swallow

_____ Carolina Chickadee

_____ Tufted Titmouse

_____ Red-breasted Nuthatch

_____ White-breasted Nuthatch

_____ Brown Creeper

_____ House Wren (8 May 2000, LP)

_____ Winter Wren

_____ Carolina Wren

_____ Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

_____ Golden-crowned Kinglet

_____ Ruby-crowned Kinglet

_____ Eastern Bluebird

_____ Veery (21 September 2002, RMD)

_____ Gray-cheeked Thrush (23 September 1995, SJS, RGE)

_____ Swainson's Thrush

_____ Hermit Thrush

_____ Wood Thrush

_____ American Robin (16 June 1938, WMP [Wetmore 1940])

_____ Gray Catbird

_____ Brown Thrasher

_____ Northern Mockingbird

_____ European Starling

_____ Cedar Waxwing

_____ House Sparrow (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ American Pipit (24 April 2009, TBM, LMM—a SBB record)

_____ Evening Grosbeak * (mid-January 1988, D. Stephens fide BLP [Stamm 1988b])

_____ House Finch

_____ Purple Finch

_____ Pine Siskin

_____ American Goldfinch

_____ Eastern Towhee

_____ Chipping Sparrow

_____ Field Sparrow

_____ Vesper Sparrow (1 January 2008, LMM, TBM)

_____ Savannah Sparrow (9 May 2000, LMM, SJS)

_____ Grasshopper Sparrow

_____ Fox Sparrow

_____ Song Sparrow

_____ Swamp Sparrow (24 April 2009, RMD—a SBB record)

_____ White-throated Sparrow

_____ Dark-eyed Junco

_____ Yellow-breasted Chat

_____ Bobolink  * (9 & 29 May 2000, LMM)

_____ Eastern Meadowlark

_____ Orchard Oriole (16 June 1938, WMP [Wetmore 1940])

_____ Baltimore Oriole (2 June 2011, BHS—a McCreary County Foray record)

_____ Red-winged Blackbird

_____ Brown-headed Cowbird

_____ Common Grackle

_____ Ovenbird

_____ Worm-eating Warbler

_____ Louisiana Waterthrush

_____ Northern Waterthrush (2 October 2010, SJS, BHS—a FBB record)

_____ Golden-winged Warbler (15 September 1995, SJS, MAS)

_____ Blue-winged Warbler

_____ Black-and-white Warbler

_____ Prothonotary Warbler

_____ Swainson's Warbler (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ Tennessee Warbler

_____ Orange-crowned Warbler (16 April 2005, BLP)

_____ Nashville Warbler (15 October 1996, SJS)

_____ Kentucky Warbler

_____ Common Yellowthroat

_____ Hooded Warbler

_____ American Redstart (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ Cape May Warbler

_____ Cerulean Warbler (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996]; 16 April 2005, SJS, BLP)

_____ Northern Parula

_____ Magnolia Warbler

_____ Bay-breasted Warbler (15 September 1995, SJS, MAS)

_____ Blackburnian Warbler

_____ Yellow Warbler

_____ Chestnut-sided Warbler

_____ Blackpoll Warbler (14 May 1994, RMD)

_____ Black-throated Blue Warbler * (18 September 1999, LMM)

_____ Palm Warbler (25 Oct 1998, RMD)

_____ Pine Warbler

_____ Yellow-rumped Warbler

_____ Yellow-throated Warbler

_____ Prairie Warbler (16 June 1938, WMP [Wetmore 1940])

_____ Black-throated Green Warbler

_____ Canada Warbler (19 September 1997, SJS)

_____ Wilson's Warbler (2 October 2010, BHS—a FBB record)

_____ Summer Tanager

_____ Scarlet Tanager

_____ Northern Cardinal

_____ Rose-breasted Grosbeak

_____ Blue Grosbeak

_____ Indigo Bunting

Key to Initials and Abbreviations:

Literature Cited

   If you have personal records for species not noted above or if you know of historical records for species not listed above, please send details to me at this e-mail address: birdbfly7101@gmail.com

Quick links to other sections of this website:

• HomePage for SJS

• The BirdPage

• The ButterflyPage